SemaConnect Blog

November 30, 2015

High-End Manufacturers Enter the EV Arena

We have great news for the world. With pure-electric vehicles being released by more and more manufacturers, the infrastructure to support the needs for this new fuel is being built at a rapid pace. The rise of electric vehicles will require more EV Charging Stations. The retro-fitting of existing service stations with EV charging stations is low-cost, and easy to integrate.

At a recent auto show in Frankfurt, we saw something extraordinary: Audi presented its e-tron Quattro SUV – a pure-electric vehicle designed and ready for series production. Volkswagen presented EV adapted current models. Porsche gave us a white electric-powered angel – the Porsche Mission E.

Consumers interested in purchasing electric vehicles have been discouraged by the high sticker prices, but with Tesla soaring past all predictions, skeptics, and competition, they could charge a premium for this revolutionary technology with prices in the $75,000 range. Now, Tesla has released hundreds of patents into the public domain, and we can expect these prices to plummet as the tech improves, major manufacturers enter the race, and EV charging stations begin to pop up around the country.
It’s true – Tesla has set the bar, and other manufacturers will have to make a big enough splash to stand with Tesla – including in the vehicle’s aesthetic beauty and road performance.

With electric vehicle sales expected to spike sharply by 2020 and beyond, the major manufacturers have to fall in step with progress and service stations and EV charging stations must be available and convenient to drivers.

As range technology increases and EV’s are capable of going further distances before needing a recharge, drivers will be able to go on the Great American Road Trip again.

Audi’s e-tron, expected in 2018, is to have 310 miles per charge. Tesla and Porsche offer about the same, given the current state of battery technology. Porsche’s 911 concept car is being designed to be ready to retrofit the technology as it progresses. Soon we will find EV Charging stations all over the world map.